there. things will change soon? >> yes, they will. today going to be dry. take a sigh and get ready for tomorrow. at least it's on a saturday. light to moderate snowfall. in fact, for saturday. it will be doing a little bit of light shoveling of snowfall, many of us. we're at 38 degrees right now. windchill temperature at 30 degrees. our storm system still way back to the west around minneapolis and down around areas of arkansas. again, it's going to take a while for them to come together. so your day part forecast, we're going to be dry throughout the day, we'll see clouds increase, especially by the time we get to 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 this evening. a lot of high clouds will start moving in of the a cold start for us at 34 degrees. at 8:00. 44 is where i think we'll top out today. about 3:00 or 4:00. here is what we're expecting. chance of accumulating snowfall. areas in the blue, culpeper, manassas, around d.c., areas into baltimore and aberdeen and

mostly rain in southeastern maryland. we'll look at the snowfall amounts coming up. mike cremedas in for traffic. >> water main break at cedar avenue. traffic is getting by to the right. looking great. northbound 95 as you make the trip towards the beltway. let's take a live look at the cameras north of the princeway and pasch way. no serious backups there. backlick road looking fantastic. aaron, erika? >> thank you, mike. new this morning, the springfield interchange back open after a deadly crash on the beltway. three people died when a pickup truck slammed into a tractor-trailer. this happened on the ramp from the beltway to i-95. that crash happened about 7:00 last night. the cause is still under investigation. police shut down the ramp as a precaution. it has since reopened. that happened just before 2:00 this morning. negotiations will resume today at the white house on a deal to keep the country from going over the so-called fiscal

cliff. president obama will meet with congressional leaders this afternoon with just four days left to reach an agreement. with time running out, it appears a deal at this point would likely include an extension of tax cuts for the middle class and a cancellation of spending cuts. an aide to senate minority leader mitch mcconnell says the republican senator is eager, quote-unquote, to hear from the president. house lawmakers are heading back to washington ahead of a deal. john boehner called the house back into session for a rare sunday evening session. boehner says it's up to the senate to act. he says the house has done its part to -- it would extend existing tax cuts for all americans. federal workers are told to take steps to prepare for possible furloughs if spending cuts that would be part of the fiscal cliff take effect. the office of personnel

management issued new guidelines which state that employees will be given at least 60 days' notice before any furloughs of more than 22 days. they'll receive 30 days' notice for furloughs shorter than that. workers will also not be allowed to use other forms of paid time off like sick leave. investors overseas appear to be optimistic about the -- the nikkei index hit the highest mark since march of last year. markets in hong kong, south korea and australia are also up today. new this morning, iran state television is reporting the country's navy started training drills in the strait of hormuz. that area sees 20% of the oil pass through it. the state tv report says it includes warships, submarines and jet fighters. iran warned other ships to stay away from the site until after the new year. other countries are worried these tests are another step towards iran developing a nuclear weapon. we go to melissa mollet now with

breaking news at the live desk. good morning. >> good morning. we're just getting this information into the newsroom. russian president vladimir putin signed a law banning u.s. citizens from adopting russian children. russia is one of the top countries from which america adopts. it could affect more than 1500 adoptions currently under way. melissa mollet, news 4. four minutes after 5:00. the military world mourning the death of the man known as stormin' norman. he died yesterday from complications with pneumonia. he's best remembered as helping lead forces that kicked saddam hussein out of kuwait during the first gulf war. a friend of his says schwarzkopf was in love with america and was possessed by a sense of duty. norman schwarzkopf was 78 years old. former president george h.w. bush released a statement saying "general schwarzkopf epitomized the duty, service, country

creed. more than that, he was a good and decent man and a good friend." the 41st president is still in intensive care but it appears that he's still fighting saying he's in good hands. a spokesperson for the bush family says the former president will probably be in the hospital for a little while. but that he would advise people to "put the harps back in the closet." . the 88-year-old has been in a houston hospital since november 23rd. his condition worsened this week when he suffered a series of complications from bronchitis. secretary of state hillary clinton will return to work soon. for the last few weeks, she had to slow down because of a stomach virus and a concussion that she sustained after fainting. she canceled an overseas trip as well as testimony before congress about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. clinton is preparing to step aside as secretary in the coming weeks. a winter storm getting ready to pass through the area this weekend. road crews are getting ready as

well, preparing for a full deployment. in maryland that means 2500 trucks out in full force today salting the roads and preparing plows for tomorrow. vdot and d dot will make their plans today for how they'll respond to the coming storm as that storm moves in. not everybody is upset about the impending snow. >> i love the snow. >> you're not scared of the snow? >> i used to shovel every day. i like waking up in the morning, you have to shovel off your car, to go to work. for me, it's actually i am looking forward to see the snow. >> we're going to get that guy's phone number if you're looking for someone to shovel. he loves it. officials in maryland, d.c. and virginia have the same advice for when the snow starts falling. if you don't have to drive around, stay inside. that way crews can take care of the roads and keep people safe. >> we'll be sure to pass along that number to you so he can shovel your driveway. >> exactly. he loves to shovel. loves it.

>> good morning everybody. 5:306 is the time. coming up, the large mob that forced a virginia mall to close its door earlier than planned. how the gun control debate taking aim at an area event in our area today. plus, your chances of getting

whatever is like apparently really annoying according to -- >> oh, no. >> absolutely. i had to. i didn't write that. but i had to do it that way. it topped the annual marist polls most annoying words or phrases used in conversation for the fourth straight year. like took the second spot with 21% of the vote. the runners-up included twitter verse and gotcha. marist questioned more than 1200 adults by phone. the results differed by age and regions. people younger than 45 or in the northeast were especially annoyed, like you just were, by the word "like." while the phrase you know, offended people 45 years old and up. >> it's like no, i don't know. if i knew, you wouldn't have to tell me. >> don't you know. >> i used to get in trouble for whatever. when we were kids, my grandmother did not -- that was not the right response. >> i remember in middle school,

we had teachers that would say stop. i want you to think about what you're going to say and listen to how many times you say like in that sentence. >> all right. >> awful. >> let's see whatever veronica has to say. >> all right. >> hopefully is doesn't include whatever or like. >> like aaron, that's the one word my parents got on me about. do not say that. the storm system coming in today. the today will be the calm before the storm. temperatures anywhere from 34 degrees north in montgomery county to 37 degrees right in d.c. 29 one of our cooler spots in huntingtowne, maryland. your hometown forecast, watch the clouds move in. we hit 40 after 2:00 today. we'll max out at 41 to 42 degrees. then we drop to the 30s and snow will start to come into the area about 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. in the morning.

accumulation by 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. we'll talk about those amounts in ten minutes. right now, first 4 traffic. >> thank you, veronica. no reports of major problems. 355 at cedar avenue. a right on south summit avenue there. also, worry-free on northbound 395. no problems as you head towards the district. looking good right now at duke street and problem-free at the 14th street bridge. a 12-minute ride from the beltway to the 14th street bridge. no serious delays on metro, marc trains or the virginia railway express. thank you, mike. time is 5:12. ahead, the treacherous conditions left behind from the snowstorm as the northeast prepares for round two. twice in one month. a person pushed off a new york city subway platform. the odd behavio

5:16 right now. two of the three men accused of brutally beating a capitol hill man will be in court. police say tommy branch and sunny kuti attacked and robbed maslin in august. he was in a coma for nearly two months. branch and kuti are due in court at 9:30. the third person, michael moore, waived his right to a hearing. today the man accused of walking into sandy hook elementary school in virginia with a 2 by 4 will also be in court. that happened last week in strasburg. 33-year-old christopher johnson wrote high-powered rifle on that board. he made general statements about school safety. no one was hurt. johnson is charged with disorderly conduct. the loudoun county sheriff's

office is investigating a deadly shooting. it happened around 7:00 last night in sterling. deputies found the victims shot to death near great trail terrace and trail run terrace. his name has not been released. detectives believe the man was targeted. anyone with information about this case is asked to call police. a busy day at the mall turned to chaos in newport news, virginia. police were called to the patrick henry mall last night for the report of a fight. they controlled the situation and left. but they had to come back less than an hour later. they found a mob of teenagers fighting. when officers stepped in, the teens started targeting police officers. five teens were arrested and the mall was shut down early. they're facing charges ranging from trespassing to resisting arrest. today, protesters will be out in full force at the nation's gun show in chantilly. the social advocacy group code pink is preparing to demonstrate outside the dulles expo center today. the group interrupted the nra

news conference last week and say they want stricter regulations when it comes to buying guns. members say they don't like how guns have become more and more acceptable in public places. >> when you're in union station and you come down the escalator and there's a few police with guns slung over and -- i hate that. >> despite the protests, gun stores have actually seen a huge increase in sales because many fear stricter regulations in light of the newtown school shooting. scientists plan to get a better look into the mind of the sandy hook shooter. researchers at the university of connecticut will study the dna of 20-year-old adam lanza. some say the findings could help pinpoint mutations that are associated with aggressive and violent behavior. it could draw false conclusions on the genetic causes of mental illness. he's accused of killing 27 people earlier this month before

turning the gun on him search and police have not revealed a motive yet. coming up on 19 after the hour, this morning police in new york city are searching for the woman who pushed a man in front of a train and killed him. the woman was mumbling to herself and pacing on the platform before she shoved that man on to the tracks witnesses say. so far, it does not appear the victim and suspect knew each other. police have not released a motive here. this is the second time this month someone has been shoved on to the tracks and killed in new york city. today people in the town of webster, new york, will begin their final farewells. wake services begin today for the two firefighters who were killed in an ambush on christmas eve. monday morning, mike ship rinne i and tomasz coe zouk a were shot to death who -- funerals are set for sunday. two others are expected to recover.

another round of winter storms are heading our way, folks. however, some are still dealing with storms from earlier this week. this was the scene in tacoma park yesterday. this tree knocked out power to more than 1700 pepco customers. power there has since been restored and in silver spring, the wind is to blame for this. a tree smashed into a home on malibu drive. luckily, nobody was hurt. officials say the house is not in livable condition. northern virginia saw its share of fallen trees. it was the same situation on burke station road in fairfax. this tree blocked the road yesterday morning. neighbors a say this is becoming more and more common. >> every time the wind blows, one of these big old trees comes down and this particular spot seems to be a bad one. this is the second tree that's come down here in the last year. >> no one was hurt in either incident.

one neighbor said the teresa parentally have good timing. crashing just after rush hour ends to avoid a traffic backup. the winter storm adding salt to the wounds of the residents around the jersey shore. more flooding from the winter blast. snow that blanketed much of the northeast turned to rain along the coast. that combined with powerful wind and high tide caused flooding. most homes took on water by late yesterday morning. firefighters went door to door to make sure homeowners were okay. the snow flying across the northeast this morning as residents clean up from the winter's first major storm. as much as 18 inches dumped on the region. still causing huge headaches for travelers too. more than 2,000 flights had to be canceled this week leaving a lot of folks stranded. so far, no delays or cancellations out of our major airports, but call ahead before you go. all right. it's going to be a cold one today. and i don't know if we'll see

any rain. but better yet, why don't we send it over no meteorologist veronica johnson with a check of the weather. >> thanks a lot, erika and aaron. 38 degrees. we'll have seasonably cool conditions. into the low and mid 40s today. we have some clouds out there right now. what i like is the fact that we've got less wind than what we had yesterday. it's a west wind right now at 12 miles per hour delivering a windchill of 30 degrees. even those light winds kind of bringing it down. making it feel much colder. here's our storm system. two areas of low pressure way out west will quickly come together. during the overnight period pushing moisture toward us into that cold air as we drop to subfreezing levels by the time we get to tomorrow morning. snow starts around 3:00 a.m. here. here's what you can expect. there's the snow continuing. by 7:00, it's all the way down into even areas of southern maryland. but then watch this. as we warm up, that rain starts to take over. even the areas that get the snow on the ground, the rain will

wipe a lot of it away. had we talk about the amounts that we're going to get around here, it's just really a nuisance-type storm for us. not a major one. we could see 1 to 3 inches of snowfall and 2 to 4 to the north. it's those areas up north that could hold on to that snow on the ground much longer. around baltimore, frederick, hagerstown, toward cumberland too. half inch of rain in the south. we get the snow in d.c., but it's turning to rain. continued cool, 38 to 43 degrees your temperature. pretty much where we were yesterday with less wind. we're still dry for the evening. 32 to 37 degrees. take a look at this four-day forecast. from 44 today, we drop to 39 on saturday, we're dry for sunday. but with wind, it is going to be a cold one if you're going to the game, redskins game. 38 degrees with wind. then for new year's eve, 42. dropping to 32 at night. we're talking about another storm that will develop on new

year's day. could have a little bit of snow with it. we'll keep you informed. let's go now to mike cremedas with first 4 traffic. >> the problem southbound 355 at cedar avenue. traffic getting by the water main break. left on old town avenue, right on south summit avenue. right now on the inner loop at gallows, all travel lanes reopened. that construction is gone. same at route 7 dulles told road. towards the beltway, taking a live look at the rest area. no serious backups there. delay-free at monument drive. it's a 12-minute ride on eastbound 66 to 286 to the beltway at 55 miles per hour. this morning, ford faces a class action lawsuit claiming the company overhyped the gas mileage on some of its cars. the lawsuit says the mileage claims for the 2013 sea max hybrid and fusion hybrid models are misleading. both get 47 miles to the gallon, but a recent report study found

it's actually as much as ten miles fewer per gallon than ford claims. recently, kia and hyundai also had to amend their mileage numbers after admitting they fudged the test process. a dog in michigan is waking up warm thanks to a gad samaritan who most likely saved its life. the dog's owner called 9-1-1 to get help after his dog wandered on to ice there. before crews arrived, a man tried to go out on to the ice and got stuck himself. eventually, crews were able to rescue the man and the dog. animal control officers say the dog was cold, the man was cold. otherwise, they were okay. i'm sure so was the rescuer as well. with winter officially here and the temperatures dropping, doctors say that many people's moods will drop as well. doctors at the mayo clinic say one in five americans suffer from s.a.d. seasonal affective disorder.

it usually owe can curse during winter when it's cold and dark. sleepiness and social withdrawal are the symptoms. researchers say taking a short walk outside or using light therapy can help people deal with the condition. redskins fans, you just have two days to wait for the biggest game of the season so far. it looks like the team will be largely healthy for sunday's matchup with the cowboys. offensive lineman tyler pa lum bus is expected to practice fully today. he sat out last week with a con kux. rg3's knee seems to be holding up. they have a lot of confidence with the season at this point. a win would send them to the playoffs and give them the division after five straight years of missing the post-season. of course, watch the redskins and cowboys throw down right here on nbc4. kickoff set for 8:20. stick with news 4 before, during and after the game for full coverage and highlights, a special program starting during our 6:00 news on sunday night.

>> serious news now. maryland lawmakers reconvene next month, they'll serve up major issues, including if there should be a state sandwich. according to the washington post, on january 9th. a bill will be introduced making of the soft shell crab sandwich maryland's official sandwich. promoting a state delicacy would help the state's restaurant business and state fishermen as well. >> that's not already the maryland state sandwich? >> you would think so. don't they have fabulous chips there. aren't they known for the -- >> the bay chips. >> there we go, v.j. the old bay chips. >> 5:27 is the time right now. a few moments ago, russia officially banned americans from adopting russian children. >> coming up in the next half hour, how these new developments put the future in jeopardy for local families. the country knew him at stormin' norman. a close friend shares his memory

of the straight-shooting general, norman schwarzkopf. >> more winter weather for the weekend. get

making headlines right now. the springfield interchange is back open after a crash killed three people on the beltway. that road stayed closed for nearly seven hours. this morning leaders are

remembering the life and contributions of former u.s. general norman schwarzkopf who died at the age of 78. road crews prepping for another winter storm that could roll in, in the next 24 hours. much more on those stories throughout the morning. thanks for joining us. i'm erika gonzalez in for eun yang. i'm aaron gilchrist. welcome back on this friday, december 28th. you can enjoy this friday weather because we're in for major changes in the days ahead. veronica johnson has our weather headlines. >> yeahment another storm for us. this will not be big for us. it will be a big storm for areas up through new england. take a look behind me. these are current windchill readings. they're 7 degrees warmer than the actual air temperature. 27 degrees. 27 gaithersburg and 37 degrees in areas of d.c. and around adams, 29 in manassas into

prince william county. snow developing around chicago. two of the areas of low pressure will be coming together, helping to produce snow about this time tomorrow we'll start to see snowfall. as far as today, 41 to 44 with increasing clouds today. mike, what's going on, on the roads in. >> veronica, we have an accident northbound at lorton. the two left lanes are shut down. a live look at that. you can see the accident in the camera. once you pass it, the volume clears up and you're looking good as you head towards springfield. southbound 355 at cedar avenue, a water main break there still. traffic is getting by to the right. no serious problems on westbound 50 in maryland heading to the beltway. let's take a live look at 301. barely any cars on the road there. things are looking good. seven-minute ride. >> thank you, mike. today could be the decisive day in determining whether the country will go over the so-called fiscal cliff. president obama is meeting with congressional leaders at the

white house. today's talks come as house lawmakers prepare to return to washington for a rare sunday evening session. nbc's danielle lee joins us live on the hill. good morning, danielle. >> erika, good morning. the pressure is on with just four days left to avoid the fiscal cliff. an unsuccessful meeting between the president and congressional leaders could seal this country's fate. this is in many ways a final opportunity to reach a deal. another development, house members no longer on stand by. they're now coming back to washington by sunday evening to be ready for a vote without a deal taxes will go up on every work rer. unemployment benefits, the extensions will expire and there's going to be spending cuts that could threaten a recession. with all of that at stake, senators back early yesterday from their holiday, they were still continuing the bickering. republicans say they are willing to compromise on taxes. but not on more government spending. they say they're waiting to see what democrats propose. >> see what the president has to

propose. members on both sides of the aisle will review it. and then we'll decide how best to proceed. hopefully, there's still time for an agreement of some kind that saves the taxpayers from a wholly, wholly, preventible economic crisis. >> the goal is still to get a deal before midnight monday. a growing number of lawmakers doubt that will happen. some are saying the soonest a deal may come could wind up being january 3rd when the new congress takes over. reporting live in washington, i'm danielle lee. >> thank you, danielle. millions of americans may watch the ball drop in times square, but a group of democrats is organizing its own ball drop on capitol hill. they will launch their countdown today. they say their ball represents republicans dropping the ball on middle class families should lawmakers fail to reach a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. going over the fiscal cliff could have a huge impact on the local economy. thousands of people can lose their jobs, especially federal

employees and government contractors. the defense industry could face billions of dollars in cuts. >> the third largest number of federal employees and probably the largest single number of federal contractors. so that federal nexus is really important to our economy. we need to end the uncertainty. >> economists say it's possible for us to "step over" the cliff. that means lawmakers will reach some kind of a deal in a few weeks after the new year begins. breaking news right now. russia's president, vladimir putin, signed a controversial bill banning americans from adopting russian children. it goes into effect january 1st. there are estimates this could affect more than 1500 adoptions currently under way. the ban is widely viewed as retaliation for recent u.s. law targeting russians who abuse human rights. for a closer look at russia's proposed ban adoption, tune in

to the "today" show starting at 7:00 on nbc4. the army general who helped force saddam hussein out of kuwait has died. general norman schwarzkopf died yesterday from complications with pneumonia. the man known as stormin' norman was the former head of central manned at macdill air force base. he was possess issed by a sense of duty and loved america. >> i think america suffered a tremendous loss with the loss of a great patriot. >> schwarzkopf retired from the army in '91 and led a quiet life in tampa. he was 78. >> you remember as a teenager watching him on news conferences and things like that during desert storm and thinking, you sort of go back to g.i. joe, but he was the quintessential military man. >> such a presence, such a bold figure in history.

it is 5:36 right now. coming up, why thousands of workers are threatening to walk off the job and deliver a big blow to the nation's economy. and the homework for some homeowners this weekend if they recently faced foreclosure. how you could get some compensation for your case coming up. plus, the timing of some

this morning, family and music fans are mourning the loss of legendary r&b singer fontana bass, she's best known for rescue me. she died wednesday night after a heart attack. her daughter said bass lit up a room whether she was performing or not. it's going to be cold and maybe saturday is the day to stay indoors. meteorologist veronica johnson with the weather. >> that's a good point, erika. we like snowfall and not with the rain and slush like last time. look at alexandria, virginia. 30 degrees early part of the day. 38 by midday, around noontime. watch the cloud, those wl be increasing late. 32 degrees. by the time we get to 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning,

that's when it looks like the snow will start. between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. mixing with rain in d.c. south and east by 7:00 and 9:00. northbound at 95 at lorton. the two left lanes are shut down causing heavy delays. a live look. crews on the scene. 15-minute ride from the prince william parkway to the beltway. eastbound dulles toll road. no serious backups. looking good at sunset mill. >> thank you, mike. >> time is 5:41. the violence that led the u.s. to shut down operations at one of its embassies. the classified documents that reveal president ronald reagan's close relationship with an influential leader. the emergency that stopped a metro train at one of the busies

the embassy in the central african republic is shutting doors as rebels seized at least ten towns in the northern part of that country. people who live there fear an attack at any time. the u.s. ambassador and 40 others were reportedly flown to kenya. hosni mubarak is back in the hospital. his lawyer says the 84-year-old is suffering from complications from an injury he sustained last week when he fell in a prison bathroom. mubarak has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the deaths of protesters during egypt's uprising two years ago. newly released classified documents so a close personal relationship between reagan and margaret thatcher in the 1980s. letters written show how they dealt with the 1982 falk land's

war. reagan was the only person who understood the significance of the situation. she also said the friendship between america and the united kingdom is "important to the future of the free world." . today, many will pause to remember the birthday of a former president. the national cathedral in washington will commemorate the birthday of president woodrow wilson. the 28th president -- his body is entombed in the cathedral. he served from 1913 to 1921. he was commander in chief during the first world war. today would be his 156th birthday. you could be in for sticker shock the next time you pick up a gallon of milk. congress not passed a new farm bill. if it fails to pass, the price of milk and cheese could skyrocket. a gallon of milk, costing $3.65 on average now could soar between $6 and $8. this stems from a 1940s law that

required the government to buy dairy products based on old production costs which would force prices to go up. the house ethics committee has found no violations from house members who secured mortgage loans through the company. there was an investigation into their mortgage loans which they allegedly reached out to country wide lobbyists for help. the committee said nearly all the loans under investigation fell outside the panel's ju jurisdiction. president obama is urging dock workers and shipping companies to reach an agreement. they'll strike on sunday if no deal is done. contract talks broke down earlier this month. the 15 ports involved in the dispute move more than 100 million tons of goods each year. the economy could lose billions of dollars if they shut down for even a few days. 30 families are looking for temporary shelter after a

massive apartment complex fire in prince george's county wednesday night. now we're hearing the 911 calls for help as people watched. >> i'm down the street but i can see it from here. there's smoke everywhere. >> do you know what floor the fire is on? >> it looks like it started on the first floor but it's to the third floor now. >> yes. >> you see a window on fire, right? >> it's a big window. going up to the next one. burning the roof. >> window on fire on first floor. now it's going all the way up to the roof. >> yeah, it's like on the roof now. >> investigators say a malfunctioning furnace caused that fire at the franklin park apartments in green belt. no one was hurt. but the fire did about $250,000 in damage. the head of the metro police force is retiring after 31 years in the agency. the chief announced his retirement yesterday. the 60-year-old has served as chief since 2008. metro will conduct a nationwide

search to replace him. the chief plans to stay on to help oversee inauguration day next month and step down no the spring. four juveniles face charges for carjacking a virginia couple. the two were held at gunpoint outside their home in manassas. the teens took the minivan and drove it to a nearby mcdonald's. a 13-year-old girl was behind the wheel. when the group tried to get away, they left the a van in drive, sending it into a pillar in the drive through. they're being charged as juveniles. the youngest is just 12 years old. rescuers pull a man out of a hole inside a building in northwest washington. police say he was working at a building in the 3200 block of hyatt place when he fell into a hole late yesterday morning. it took about 20 minutes to get him out. he was taken to george washington university hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. don't be surprised if dog

parks are a little busier in the coming weeks and months. the county doing away with its dog park fee. residents have had to pay a $40 fee to use the park. it was meant to generate much-needed revenue. it appears people stopped taking their dogs to the park. the fee will be waived starting next month. for the second straight weekend, there will be light metro track work. starting tonight at 10:00, green line trains will single track between green belt and college park. sunday night, it will be open late so fans can get home from the redskins game. friendship heights and medical center. 5:50 right now. delays on metro happen all the time. here's a new reason why some riders were late for dinner. a woman went into labor on the red line. she didn't give birth there. that was at the chinatown stop. metro stopped the train to wait

for an ambulance. they got there in time to get her to the hospital in time to deliver her baby not on the train. >> good news for her, good news for passengers. everybody is happy. >> yes. all right. i think some kids will be happy to make snow angels this weekend. are we getting that much? >> the beginning of the storm, if they get up early, they can get out and maybe make a few snow angels. but the rain is going to take care a of a lot of it by early afternoon unless you live across northern maryland. there it will hang on longer. we're talking about tomorrow then. as far as today, quiet, dry conditions with clouds. kind of moving in by the time we get to the late afternoon hours and certainly the evening hours. 38 degrees right now. a mostly cloudy sky. in fact, wind much less than what we had around the area yesterday. blowing at about 5 to 15 miles per hour depending on where you were. it's delivering a windchill rating of 30 degrees out there. here's a look at your day planner forecast.

9:00, noon and 5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m., cold, at 35. by lunchtime today, not bad at all. seasonable conditions up to 41 degrees. we should top out at 41 to 44. then we'll start cooling fast. by the time we get to 7:00, we'll have dropped into the 30s. that means cold enough for snow. from this storm system that will be coming together. look how far it is to our west now. snow in chicago. rain west of nashville, tennessee. those two storms coming together to deliver snow after midnight tonight. so a fast-moving storm. that's good news for folks who don't want too much snow around here or slop. starting about 2:00 to 3:00 a.m. in the morning. here we are at 5:00 a.m. on saturday. snow to the west. then it really takes over the area. about 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. the little ones have to get out if they want to do anything in the snow. watch what happens as we get into 11:00 a.m. and lunchtime. that rain really starts to take over. it's going to do its number, too, on the snow.

frederick, martinsburg area, you'll hold on to the snow longer. then it gets icy by sunday morning. breezy and cold for sunday. 1 to 3 inches here. we'll have snow changing to rain again. those areas down to the south. only getting about a half inch of rain across southern maryland. for us today, 38 to 43 degrees. continued cool. the seasonable day for us. really not too bad. then again, we've got the snow ending tomorrow about 3:00 p.m. the four-day forecast new year's eve right now, dry. mike? >> thank you, veronica. the accident northbound 95 after 123. traffic is getting by to the right. about a two-mile backup approaching the seen. here is the accident. still have crews there. let's look at the backup. still slow approaching prince william parkway. after the accident, delays clear up. southbound 355 at cedar avenue. traffic is getting by the water main break to the right. no major backups on 270 south. also, if you plan to take mass

transit this morning, no worries on the metro rail, the marc system or the virginia railway express. aaron, erika, back to you. >> thank you, mike. it's time to hit the slopes. i guess that means i have to eventually learn. the winter storm and cold temperatures are helping area ski resorts to open this weekend. white tail resort in pennsylvania opens for the season this morning. for now, they will have four slopes operating. two other nearby resorts, round top and liberty, open tomorrow. wisp in western maryland is also open with about eight runs. always nice to look at the snow through a window. 5:54 is our time right now. homeowners who recently faced foreclosure may want to get their paperwork together this weekend. an important deadline is next week. jackie deangelis live with that story and more for us this morning. jackie, how are you doing? >> good morning, aaron. millions of homeowners in foreclosure in 2009 and 2010 could miss out on the chance to have their cases reviewed for

possible errors and compensation if they don't act by monday. now, that's the deadline for people to request a free review as part of a settlement reached last year between u.s. regulators and 14 mortgage companies. the deadline has been extended three times due to poor response. more than 4 million notices were mailed out, but only 356,000 homeowners have asked for a review. compensation could run as high as $100,000. you can submit a request at independent foreclosure review.com. also investors getting a fresh snapshot on the housing sector today. a report on pending home sales is at 10:00 a.m. the forecast arrives more than 1% last month after surging 5% in october. it's the latest piece of data suggesting that the housing market is healing. new home sales rose at the fastest pace of more than two years in november while home prices rose for the ninth straight month in october. jackie, thank you. if you're looking for a car,

now may be the time to buy. dealers are pushing hard to make room for new models. many are offering cash back and 0% financing. that could lead to $9,000 in savings. you can get some of the biggest deals on pickups. gm is selling a new silverado which usually runs more than $28,000 for about $24,000. this has been the best year for car sales since 2007. dealers say there are still more cars than there are buyers. in just a few days, the times square iconic new years ball there ring in 2013. inside of it will be a special tribute to a man synonymous with new year's eve. 288 waterford crystal triangles have been placed in the ball. among them is a special triangle engraved with the name dick clark. for more than 40 years, clark counted down the new year with the countless celebrities amid the revelers in times square. he passed away this past april. his wife was on hand for

yesterday's tribute. people in singapore are getting ready for the new year by floating 20,000 spheres down the singapore river. each one represents a wish. organizers say this display connects people through ha they call a collective expression of their dreams. the spheres will be lit in different colors on new year's eve and will be part of a fireworks display. i'm guessing that's going to look pretty awesome. >> i would think so. are you doing anything special for new year's? >> no. i got to work the next day. >> i'm with you. i'm in the same boat. does your family have traditions, any type of food? >> not really. not so much. >> all right then. at our house, we'll be toasting champagne and eating -- good way to ring in the new year. be in bed by 6:00 p.m. all right. >> putting the power on your iphone in a smaller package. the nest must-have gadget that apple may be working on. we're tracking breaking news overnight involving russia's

attempt to bar americans from adopting children from that nation. the actions taken in just the last hour. more winter weather moving into the d.c. area today. ♪ ♪ [ children laughing ] ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, if you wish hard enough, you get exactly what you want for christmas. welcome to christmas town: a busch gardens celebration. discover the wonder at christmastown.com.

breaking news out of russia. in that country's push to keep americans from adopting russian